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• It's What's Inside That Counts. (An introduction to indoor air quality)

• Every (Working) Breath You Take. (The risks of office air pollution.)

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It's What's
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Every
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Software, Training and Mold Insurance
THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION AVAILABLE

Mold has been around for millions of years. And yes, it has been
a problem since the dawn of modern man. In fact, mold was even
mentioned in the bible. God addressed mold in Leviticus 14:33-45,
by explaining how to rid a house of mold. 'The walls were to be brushed
and the contaminated materials were to be removed and discarded. The
house was to be torn down or burned, if there was no way to clear the
house of the growth'. Does not sound too much different from the way
mold is handled today….does it. In the past, mold was not as prevalent
a problem. But since the energy crisis of the 1970's, building practices
have concentrated more on tightly sealed buildings for increased energy
efficiency. The negative effect of this is that once water is introduced
inside, it has much less air to cause evaporation. This, when combined
with heat is the perfect conditions for mold to grow.

Mold has received an overwhelming amount of media attention. On
a recent three day trip to Texas, I read no less than four newspaper
articles, two magazine articles, and watched two news stories on TV
that were all about toxic mold. Much of the media attention concerning
mold has been focused on unproven alleged health related effects and
multi-million dollar awards by juries in mold related suits. The media
attention has caused a modern hysteria not seen since H.G. Wells
"War of the Worlds". If the solution were only as simple as turning
off our radios and TV's, like our mothers and fathers did fifty years
ago. Our public and private sectors have responded to this public
hysteria with guidelines that focus on the remediation of mold once
there is mold growth within or on a structure. Several government and
non-governmental agencies have tried to establish exposure limits to
mold, much like you would a chemical. The main problem with this is
that everyone will have a different reaction to different molds. This
reaction can even be different in nature. One person can have an
allergenic response to a limited amount of mold why another person
has a toxic response to the metabolic residues that this small amount
of some molds can produce. The most common symptoms are similar
to hay fever or other allergies, according to the CDC. If you're prone to
allergies or are immunosuppressed, you are at a much higher risk of
experiencing negative health effect of mold. This is directly related to
increased exposure to law suites that hospitals, schools and nursing
homes are facing.

Mold is dependent on two things for growth to occur, a water source
and a organic food source. Most molds can grow with as little as
60-70% relative humidity (RH) and a suitable food source. Molds are
saprophytic, meaning they obtain their food from decay of dead
organic matter. Since most building materials are made of these organic
materials (e.g. wood), it is not very plausible to remove the food source.
Therefore, controlling the water within our buildings is the only reasonable
means to abating the chances of having a mold issue. The biggest
problems occur when there's water damage, such as a toilet cracking
or a pipe that leaks inside a wall, which soaks the surrounding building
materials and doesn't get dried out. The only way to fix the problem is
to rip out the walls or floors and replace them, which can cost thousands
of dollars.

Insurance providers have started writing new liability policies using
a different form that excludes claims for water-related damage, and the
subsequent microbial growth. With insurers backing off on writing new
policies, or excluding mold from new policies, the lending institutions
are becoming ever more concerned with the mold problem. Property
owners/managers who need insurance have a problem.

Insurance companies are forced to re-underwrite their entire book
of business. Those insured who have had water problems within the
past few years will more than likely find it very difficult to find the
coverage available. Those who have not had a water incident will
find that the coverage will be available as a buy back, so long as
the insured meets the underwriting criteria set fourth by the insured.
According to Brian Mcfarland of Environmental Support Solutions,
Insurance companies will be requiring an "Active" water
restoration/mold prevention plan & knowledgeable staff as a major
part of the mold-liability underwriting criteria.
"It has been estimated that up to 80% of companies do not have
a water restoration/mold prevention plan. It is likely that the companies
that do have a plan, have it sitting on a shelf gathering dust. ". The only
sure means of risk reduction is to train your employee's and implement
an auditable plan that gives the insured, the insurers, and the lawyers
an easy way to check compliance with a changing industry. With it
becoming increasingly more important to transfer the risk associated
with mold, it would behoove every property owner/managers to train their
employee's on mold prevention and implement an "active" water
restoration/mold prevention plan. There are many independent
assessment companies that are available for this service. The cost
associated with this can carry a minimum starting price of $10,000
on up for each individual location of a company.

AIG Environmental has recognized Environmental Support Solutions,
as offering a comprehensive, inexpensive way of meeting their
underwriting criteria. "Indoor Air Quality Manager™ software helps
facility managers more effectively manage & respond to issues that
can lead to mold growth", said Brian Mcfarland of Environmental
Support Solutions. "The functionality of this program exceeds that of
any water restoration/mold management program on the market today,"
he said. "Not only can managers quickly identify where a problem
(inadequate air circulation, water incursion, spore or odor concentrations)
may be, with this software, building managers can also target problem
areas and track air quality problems throughout their organizations
regardless of how many facilities they have."

The fact that IAQ Manager 2002 provides an "active" water restoration
and IAQ plan and can track specific contaminates like mold spores,
makes it an extremely valuable tool for facility owners. The fact that it
is easy to use, approved AIG Environmental as meeting their underwriting
criteria, and inexpensive - as well make it a must have solution.
Environmental Support Solutions (ESS) offers these comprehensive
"active" management plans combined with the training required to
recognize a problem starting at under $2000.00. Since IAQ Manager
2002 is easily customizable, the cost of ESS solutions is directly
proportional to the risk of the insurer and not subjective to cost of time
and materials.

For more information about IAQ Manager 2002 and or training,
call 800-289-6116, ext.1, or to download a free trial version go to
www.environ.com. For more information on access to pollution
insurance that covers mold, please call your local insurance broker.

About Environmental Support Solutions

Environmental Support Solutions, Inc. helps organizations implement
and maintain world-class regulatory compliance programs using
desktop, enterprise Web browser, and ASP-hosted software. The
company's solutions have helped more than 35,000 businesses,
government agencies, healthcare facilities, educational institutions
and commercial properties to be in compliance with federal, state
and local regulations and standards.

It's What's Inside That Counts:
(An introduction to indoor air quality)

Pollution. The word calls to mind brown clouds, belching smokestacks
and toxic waste spills, but does it also make you think about the air
you're breathing inside your home or workplace?

EPA studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor
air levels of many pollutants may be 2-5 times, and occasionally more
than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels. And indoor air pollutants are
of particular concern because it is estimated that most people spend as
much as 90% of their time indoors.

What Causes Indoor Air Problems?

Over the past several decades, our exposure to indoor air pollutants is
believed to have increased due to a variety of factors, including the
construction of more tightly sealed buildings, reduced ventilation rates
to save energy, the use of synthetic building materials and furnishings,
and the use of chemically formulated personal care products, pesticides
and cleaners.

The relative importance of any single source of indoor air pollution
depends on how much of a given pollutant it emits and how hazardous
those emissions are. In some cases, factors such as how old the source
is and whether it is properly maintained are significant. For example, an
improperly adjusted gas furnace can emit much more carbon monoxide
than one that is properly adjusted.

Some sources, such as building materials, furnishings and household
products like air fresheners, release pollutants more or less continuously.
Others, generated by activities carried out indoors, release pollutants
intermittently. These include smoking, the use of unvented or
malfunctioning stoves, furnaces or space heaters, the use of solvents
in cleaning, hobby and workplace activities, the use of paint strippers
in redecorating activities, and the use of cleaning products and
pesticides. High pollutant concentrations can remain in the air for a
long time after some of these activities.

Why Ventilation Is Important

If too little outdoor air enters a building, pollutants can accumulate to
levels that can pose health and comfort problems. Unless they are built
with special mechanical means of ventilation, buildings that are designed
and constructed to minimize the amount of outdoor air that can "leak"
into and out of the building may have higher pollutant levels than others.
However, because some weather conditions can drastically reduce the
amount of outdoor air that enters a building, pollutants can build up even
in buildings that are normally considered "leaky."

Indoor Air Pollution and Your Health

Immediate Effects

Immediate effects, which may show up after a single exposure or
repeated exposures, include irritation of the eyes, nose and throat,
headaches, dizziness and fatigue. Such immediate effects are usually
short-term and treatable. Sometimes the treatment is simply eliminating
the person's exposure to the source of the pollution if it can be identified
and isolated. Symptoms of some diseases, including asthma,
hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and "humidifier fever," may also appear
soon after exposure to some indoor air polllutants.

The likelihood of immediate reactions to indoor air pollutants depends
on several factors. Age and preexisting medical conditions are two
important influences. In other cases, a person's reaction to a pollutant
depends on individual sensitivity, which varies tremendously. Some
people can become sensitized to biological pollutants after repeated
exposures, and it appears that some people can become sensitized to
chemical pollutants as well.

Certain immediate effects mimic those of colds or other viral diseases,
so it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of
exposure to indoor air pollution. For this reason, it is important to pay
attention to the time and place that symptoms occur. If the symptoms
fade or go away when a person is away from home or work, for example,
an effort should be made to identify indoor air sources that may be
possible causes. Some effects may be made worse by an inadequate
supply of outdoor air or from the heating, cooling or humidity conditions
prevalent in the building.

Long-term Effects

Other health effects may show up either years after exposure has
occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. These
effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart diseases
and cancer, can be severely debilitating or even fatal.

While pollutants commonly found in indoor air are responsible for
many harmful effects, there is considerable uncertainty about what
concentrations or periods of exposure result in specific health problems.
Individuals also react very differently to exposure to indoor air pollutants.
Further research will help us understand which health effects occur after
exposure to the average pollutant concentrations found indoors and which
occur from occasional exposures to higher concentrations.

Regardless, it is prudent to try to improve the indoor air quality around
you even if symptoms are not noticeable.

For more information, visit the EPA's indoor air quality Web site:
www.epa.gov/iaq. This site is a great resource for information on many
indoor air quality topics. Information is also available by phone:
(800) 438-4318.

© 2000 National Inspection Services, Fort Collins, Colorado. All rights reserved.
Used With Permission

Every (Working) Breath You Take
(The risks of office air pollution)

Did you know that air within homes and other buildings can be more
seriously polluted than outdoor air even in large, industrialized cities?
Other research indicates that people spend about 90% of their time
indoors. So, for most people, poor indoor air quality poses a greater
risk than polluted outdoor air.

Many office buildings have significant air pollution sources. In addition,
these buildings may be inadequately ventilated. Mechanical ventilation
systems, for example, may not be designed or operated to provide
adequate amounts of outside air. And people generally have less
control over their office environments than their homes.

Poor air quality=health risks

Some indoor air pollutants in office environments pose long term risks
(for example the cancer risk from asbestos.) In recent years, however,
there has been an increase in the incidence of immediate health
problems related to indoor air pollutants in office environments.

A number of well-identified illnesses, such as Legionnaires' disease,
asthma, hypersensitivity, pneumonitis and humidifier fever, have been
directly traced to specific building problems. They have even been
dubbed building-related illnesses.

You may also have heard of sick building syndrome. People with this
mysterious illness complain of sneezing, stuffy or runny nose, fatigue,
headaches, dizziness, nausea, irritability, forgetfulness and dry or
burning nose, eyes and throat.

There is not a single manner in which these health problems appear.
In some cases, problems begin as workers enter their offices and
diminish as they leave; other times, symptoms continue until the
illness is treated. Sometimes there are outbreaks of illness among
many workers in a single building. Other times, health symptoms
surface in just a few employees.

What causes poor indoor air quality?

Three main reasons for poor indoor air quality in office buildings are:

• 1. the presence of indoor air pollution sources,
• 2. poorly designed, maintained or operated ventilation systems, and
• 3. uses of the building that were unanticipated or poorly planned for
when the building was designed.

Indoor air pollution sources are the largest contributing factor.
Commonly found office pollutants and their sources include:

• Environmental tobacco smoke
• Asbestos from insulating and fire retardant building materials
• Formaldehyde from pressed wood products
• Cleaning materials and activities
• Restroom air fresheners
• Paints and adhesives
• Copy machines and other photographic and print materials
• Biological contaminants from dirty ventilation systems
• Pesticides from pest management practices

Mechanical ventilation systems in large buildings are designed and
operated not only to heat and cool the air, but also to draw in and
circulate outdoor air. When they are poorly designed, operated or
maintained, however, ventilation systems can contribute to indoor
problems in several ways. For example, problems arise when, in an
effort to save energy, ventilation systems bring in inadequate amounts
of outdoor air. Inadequate ventilation also occurs if the air supply and
return vents within each room are blocked or placed such that outside
air does not actually reach the breathing zone of building occupants.
Improperly located outside air intake vents can also bring in air
contaminated with automobile and truck exhaust, boiler emissions,
fumes from dumpsters or air vented from restrooms.

Building investigations

Frequently, indoor air quality problems cannot be effectively identified
or remedied without a comprehensive building investigation. These
investigations may start with written questionnaires and telephone
consultations. In some cases these inquiries may quickly uncover the
problem. More often, however, investigators may need to come to the
building to conduct personal interviews with occupants, to look for possible
sources of the problems, and to inspect the design and operation of the
ventilation system and other building features. Because taking
measurements of pollutants at the very low levels often found in office
buildings is expensive and sometimes not useful, investigators may
not take many measurements.

The process of solving indoor air quality problems can be a slow one,
involving several trial solutions before successful remedial actions
can be identified.

© 2000 National Inspection Services, Fort Collins, Colorado. All rights reserved.
Used by ESS with Permission